Child psychologists slam Jimmy Kimmel's 'cruel' annual Halloween prank in which parents tell their kids they ate all their candy

Jimmy Kimmel brought tears to the eyes of many children recently. But they weren't tears of joy.

ABC's late-night host conducted what's becoming an annual prank during
the past week, encouraging parents to tell their children they had eaten
all of their Halloween candy, film the response and upload the video so
he could show it on his TV show and on YouTube.

Predictably, many of the fooled children were quite upset.

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Cruel: Jimmy Kimmel is being blasted by child psychologists for his annual Halloween prank in which he asks parents to tell their children they ate all the Halloween candy while filming their reactions

Wail: These two brothers cried like it was the end of the world when they were told their candy was gone

Not a tear in sight: This adorable little boy told his parents it was OK they ate his candy

Take that: This girl throws a piece of paper at her mother after she hears about the candy

A picture paints a thousand words: Her devastation is etched on her face

The girl on the left told her mom it was OK that she ate her Halloween candy but could not contain her sobs while she said it, while the boy on the right threw an all-out tantrum

'Pranking your own children is not harmless fun, but is cruel and
potentially damaging,' said Mark Barnett, a professor and graduate
program coordinator at Kansas State University's department of
psychological sciences.

A child's trust in his parents shouldn't be
trifled with, he said.

'A parent who would violate this trust for a big laugh or 15 minutes of
fame is, in my opinion, acting irresponsibly and not looking out for the
best interests of the child,' Barnett said.

No one from Kimmel's show, broadcast on a network owned by the
traditionally kid-friendly Walt Disney Co, was available to comment,
representatives said on Wednesday.

A YouTube posting of Kimmel's on-air
highlights was viewed more than seven million times through late Wednesday,
with more than 45,000 giving it a 'thumbs up' and 2,191 offering a
'thumbs down.'

Since starting the feature in 2011, Kimmel's show said the
post-Halloween videos have been viewed more than 106 million times
online.

Kimmel said this year he received an 'avalanche' of great responses and it took much of last weekend to work through them all.

So upset: More tears from these two brothers after they are told the bad news

Rollercoaster of emotions: This boy screams at his mother that he hates her when she first tells him, but on hearing it is a joke he says, 'Well that's not very kind'

This year's videos include two blond boys who break out in uncontrolled
tears when their father tells them, 'it's all gone.' An empty candy
wrapper is on the table in front of them.

One girl, still in costume, tells her mother that 'you ruined my whole day.'

Children throw stomping tantrums, one so vigorous the toddler's pants
fall down. One angry girl throws an envelope at her parents.

Another
bawling child is hardly mollified by news that it's a prank: 'Well,
that's not very kind,' the boy said.

Kimmel's studio audience laughs at most of the reactions.

Shock and horror: This little princess is about to erupt into an epic tantrum

Mixed reactions: While his brother sobs into his arms, his brother tells his parents 'Good job' and gives them a thumbs up

Jane Annunziata, a McLean, Virginia-based psychologist who deals with family
issues and is the author of the book, Sometimes I'm Scared..., said
she thought the prank was inappropriate parental behavior.

'Parents should always serve as role models for their children, role
modeling most appropriate behaviors and the most constructive ways to
express feelings,' Annunziata said.

Kimmel, 46, said on the air two years ago when introducing the first
round of stolen candy videos that 'I guess I didn't expect so much
crying' in response.

'To the children whose fears are about to be immortalized on television, I apologize in advance,' he said.